An unlikely suspect has now punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff

For the first time in the history of the sport, the College Football Playoff will have a 12-team field, and that has led to more teams than ever competing for spots heading down the stretch of the season.

With just three weeks remaining, there are plenty of teams still vying for a playoff spot. From the myriad of one-loss and two-loss teams in the SEC — highlighted by the Alabama Crimson Tide, who essentially eliminated LSU from playoff contention on Saturday night — to the teams contending for conference championships, like BYU in the Big 12 and, surprisingly, SMU in the ACC, there are plenty of programs with a lot to play for heading into the rest of November.

As we get deeper into November, we can expect that more and more teams will falter under the pressure. However, one team has yet to do so and, as a result, has essentially already punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff.

Who are we talking about? The Indiana Hoosiers.

With a perfect 10-0 record, the Hoosiers now stare down the biggest game of their season, or so we think. Indiana will go on the road to Ohio State on Saturday, November 23 with a trip to Indianapolis to compete for the Big Ten Championship hanging in the balance.

While the stakes are certainly high and Indiana wants to have a chance to win the conference title — which would be the first time since 1967 and just the third time in the program's history — there are bigger games on the horizon for the Hoosiers. Why? Even with a loss, they're still firmly in the 12-team playoff field.

Even if Indiana loses to Ohio State, the Hoosiers will play Purdue the next week. The Boilermakers are the worst team in the Big Ten and, barring some massive meltdown, are essentially a free win to close out the season. That means, at worse, Indiana is an 11-1 team.

In short, they're not getting left out.

You can argue resume all you want. You can argue that the Hoosiers won't have a single ranked win under their belt. Those are fair point, but they don't matter.

An 11-1 team from the Big Ten or SEC — honestly, the ACC or Big 12, as well — is not getting left out of the 12-team playoff field. SEC fans may not like it. Big 12 or ACC fans hoping their team can backdoor into an at-large bid might not like it, but you can't argue with 11-1.

Now, what happens to Indiana once they get to the playoff? That's another story.

If the Hoosiers lose to Ohio State and finish 11-1, they may very well be as low as the No. 11 seed and they'll have to go on the road to play in the first-round of the playoff, so no one can deny the magnitude of what that Ohio State game will mean to them in terms of seeding.

But, as far as being in the big dance: The Indiana Hoosiers are in.

Read More